Walking up to your professor to ask a question during class. Sitting at a quaint Parisian cafe on a normal, study-abroad afternoon. Howling at your college football team on the bleachers to make that touchdown. These college-rites of passage are what I, and so many other college students, were fortunate enough to have experienced before the Coronavirus consumed our world.
However, since March, the Covid-19 pandemic has acted like a leech, sucking away many of our collegiate educational, social and abroad experiences. Indeed, Covid-19 has taken away so much from so many. As someone who was sent home from her freshman year at American University, I will not deny this.
But as a raging optimist who has reflected upon this life-altering time, I cannot help but realize that this pandemic has also given us something special: life lessons. Here are four lessons Covid-19 has taught college students.Â
- Lesson 1: We are not always in controlÂ
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When the pandemic hit the United States in early March, so much changed so quickly. Graduation was cancelled, everyone had to leave their dorms, and life was- and still somewhat is-on hold.
The craziest part is that we can do only little to control what is happening in our world. This virus is bigger than us, and we have to acknowledge that. As creatures who love to plan and control, this pandemic is a wake-up call: in life, we are not always in control.Â
- Lesson 2: Your health should be prioritized
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As college students, we often think that prioritizing grades, our resume, money, partying, etc. is of utmost importance. However, the Coronavirus has taught us that in life, this is not necessarily the case.
As we have seen throughout the past few months, if you do not have your health, you really do not have anything, and one virus can make the whole world stop. With that, your health should be a priority.Â
- Lesson 3: To slow downÂ
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Go. Go. Go. Before the pandemic restricted us from driving, travelling, eating out, working on campus and going to internships, “go” seemed to be the mantra for many college students. There were so many places to be at so many times that life seemed to pass people by because of how fast they were moving.
Covid-19 forced college students to say “no” to “go.” It forced us to stop and reflect, listen and breathe. It taught us college students to slow down.
- Lesson 4: Life is tough, but so are we
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These past few months of dealing with Covid-19 has taught college students that life can be tough. With everything so many of us have been through, it is clear that life can be unpredictable, messy, lonely, exhausting, terrifying and disappointing.
Yet I want to point out that Covid-19 has taught college students that we are also tough. Despite the hardships Covid-19 has presented us, we continue to press on, take our classes, work and live. It may not always be easy, but we persist.Â
As college students, Covid-19 may stop us from talking to our professors in person or attending game day with our squad, but it has also gifted us various special life lessons that will continue to guide us in our futures. In these dark times, I hope these life lessons can act as a bright reminder that even when you feel Covid-19 is an absolute curse, it might also be a beautiful blessing.
Photos: Her Campus Media